


touch me

by kaiohtic



Series: challenge me [3]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 07:13:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12360354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiohtic/pseuds/kaiohtic
Summary: As they move on to college life, Sehun and Jongin's friendship progresses, too.





	touch me

**Author's Note:**

> another year passed, so here's another installment of dumb best friends sekai. i wish i had more time to write and polish this, but for now, this is the best i can do. as long as you're happy with this, i am happy, too. i love you, abby. thanks for always staying with me and not turning away from me ever. you're the most precious thing in the world for me, and i wish i could give you more than just this.
> 
> warnings: unbetaed.

After Sehun went home that day, Jongin had been thinking long and hard about their friendship. There ought to be a change in their dynamics after getting each other off, right? Touching each other's dick is not what regular best friends would do and Jongin could feel the dread building in the pit of his stomach at the thought of meeting Sehun the next time. Especially since he touched Sehun’s dick without asking, and he had continued despite Sehun’s initial protest.  
  
It's all been unnecessary worries though. Sehun is no different from usual and they fall back into routine easily - video games and movie marathons and lazy afternoons on either Sehun or Jongin's bed where they would both scroll through their facebook and instagram feeds. It's still summer vacation, and although they initially planned to part-time to save up some more money for college, they ended up staying at home instead, both blaming it on the heat that makes them lethargic.  
  
"It's fine, no?" Sehun says, the words drawled out into a yawn. Jongin chucks a pillow at his face because  _where are your manners, Sehun, cover up your ugly opened mouth_. Sehun doesn't seem the slightest bit offended by that action. He mumbles a sleepy  _thank you_  and cuddles with the pillow, long body curled up into a tiny ball. It’s kind of cute, Jongin thinks, but quickly dismisses that thought.  
  
"What's fine?" Jongin asks instead. He's not too sure what they have been talking about. Maybe Sehun has jumped to a new topic without announcing that, too. It's one of Sehun's quirks, adorable at times, but mostly annoying as it leaves the other party confused.  
  
"That we're spending our summer indoors like this, lazing around all day instead of part-timing and going out," Sehun explains. Jongin simply shrugs. It doesn't matter to him. He doesn't regret spending time being comfortable with his best friend. Sure, they could have been a lot more productive, but time passes by so fast. This is their last summer as pre-college kids, so he wants to spend it as that - carefree kids that have too much time on their hands and nothing better to do.  
  
"We could have joined the hyungs and gone to Jeju Island with them," Sehun mumbles, words followed by a soft sigh. "It looks like they're having real fun there. We could have made some precious memories."  
  
Jongin almost snickers at the word precious. It's not a word he has ever heard Sehun say. It's one of those words that seem too soft, too emotional, too unusual for his best friend to use. Nonetheless, Jongin doesn't dwell on that detail, rather than that, he wants to reply and assure that their choices are absolutely fine. They've made a lot of mistakes until now, but this one is definitely not.  
  
"We wanted to save the money, remember?" Jongin says and chuckles. "Besides, a horror movie marathon and playing through several video games within two weeks does seem pretty damn memorable to me."  
  
A smile lights up Sehun's entire face, and for a tiny moment, Jongin feels warm. It's fondness, he thinks, because even now, his best friend looks like a child most of the time. A horribly stupid, but equally sweet child.  
  
"Right, let's add another few games onto that list of games we managed to finish," Sehun says and reaches out for another game in Jongin's impressively large collection. Jongin mock groans and whines, complaining about the amount of time invested into video games that could have been used to start packing. They are going to move to the dormitories soon and he's not too sure if last minute packing is a good idea.  
  
  
  
  
  
It’s not. They spend a whole weekend - the one right before orientation week - to move into their dorm room, the entire process being rather rushed. Initially, they thought about renting a small apartment, but that is easier said than done. They are from the upper middle class, but most of their parents' savings are going into their tuition fees already, so there is nothing left for their own, private space. The rent in Seoul is horrible, and neither Sehun nor Jongin are willing to live outside of the metropole. Spending more than an hour to commute to and back from school would be too tiring.  
  
"I'll take the bed on the left side," Sehun says, his bum already seated on the bed he is claiming. Jongin just shrugs, not commenting on that. Sehun is obviously choosing the better place to stay in - the side with the bigger desk and more shelves for storage - but Jongin doesn't mind. Unlike Sehun, he didn't pack heavy. He's got two big suitcases filled with clothes for both summer and winter season, three pairs of sneakers and a few personal items.  
  
Sehun, on the other hand, is bringing far too much luggage. If Jongin thought he had been a bit too much with the things he brought with him, his best friend overdid it. There are three huge suitcases, a smaller one and a backpack. Jongin watches in amazement as Sehun unpacks, clothes neatly folded and sorted. Jongin didn't bother that much. He just threw all his stuff into the closet, not quite caring about the wrinkles. If it weren't for his mother keeping an eye on his uniform, he would have worn a wrinkled one every day.  
  
"Do you even need all of that?" Jongin asks. He's not even watching anymore, his eyes glued to his phone, watching some youtube video of cute little animals. They make him happy, almost as happy as he feels when spending quality time with his best friend.  
  
"I might," Sehun replies, still sorting through his belongings. "Unlike you, I am always prepared for all kinds of situations."  
  
Jongin would beg to differ, but he keeps his mouth shut. It's better not to provoke and challenge Sehun; that would only backfire. Besides, there are more important things to do, such as cooing at the little pup happily wagging its tail on his phone screen. He won’t have much time to watch animal videos on youtube once their semester begins because Jongin already has a plan. Apart from studies and club activities, he will start a part-time job, too.  
  
  
  
  
  
So maybe Jongin didn’t get a part-time job. He finds himself busied with soccer club, lectures and homework, and then there is also a whiny best friend who keeps wanting to do stuff together like the good old times. No, not pranking each other, they’re past that stage, but Sehun is the one who keeps distracting him with movie suggestions and video game challenges, and who is Jongin to say no?  
  
They are joined by the hip as people would say. With both majoring in economics and focusing on the marketing department, they take the same classes. Sehun is in the soccer club, too, so they go to practice and back home together, stopping by some random place for dinner, that is, if they have proper dinner at all. Often, they both go for a ddeokbokki or simple ramyun instead, the cheaper the better. There’s not much money left at the end of the month, but there’s no time to spend on earning extra money either, so that’s the best they can do.  
  
“I’m kinda sick of ramyun,” Sehun sighs and pushes the half-finished bowl of noodles further away. Jongin looks up from his plate of ddeokbokki and sighs.  
  
“Wanna have some ddeokbokki instead then?” He asks, but Sehun only grimaces.  
  
“No, I’m actually craving something sweet right now,” Sehun replies and stares longingly at something behind Jongin’s back. Jongin turns around and narrows his eyes at the sight of a bubble tea shop. If they spend their last money on some boba, they won’t even have some allowance left for dinner the next day.  
  
“Don’t think about it,” Jongin warns, but Sehun is already up. Jongin can only sigh at the sight of Sehun happily sipping on his sweet drink a little while later although all he wants is to smile and coo at his best friend. He doesn’t want to give Sehun the wrong idea of approval when he is supposed to judge his friend in this kind of situation.  
  
  
  
  
  
Sehun certainly regrets buying bubble tea the day before. He’s only got enough money for a roll of kimbap that is certainly not filling enough for two meals. And seeing Sehun’s sad puppy eyes, Jongin gives in. He shares his dinner with Sehun and later vows to himself to be more frugal with money from now on. No more spending money excessively when going out with their college friends and sunbaes.  
  
  
  
  
  
“Gross,” Sehun huffs and pushes Jongin away when Jongin hugs his best friend. They have just won a test match against a rivaling university because Sehun had been passing the ball to Jongin right on time for him to goal last minute.  
  
“We’re gonna shower anyways,” Jongin laughs, but doesn’t take it personally. It’s surprisingly warm for a day in mid-October and with the exertion earlier, they are all sweaty. Jongin can feel his uniform clinging to his backside, but unlike Minseok, he is not confident enough for a striptease. Their team captain has already pulled off his T-shirt to flaunt his perfect abs to a shrieking and fangirling audience.  
  
“No, bro, I mean, stop being so gay,” Sehun says. Jongin just blinks, dumbfounded, but he takes a step back nonetheless. Sehun seems to realize what he has just said and laughs it off, saying it’s all just a joke. To Jongin it’s not though. It’s at that moment that he realizes how their dynamics did change. Sehun is not as touchy with him anymore, unlike before. The casual arm around his shoulder as they walk down the streets, the playful slaps and pokes – they all have decreased to a zero, and Jongin can’t really tell if he’s upset about that or not. Their friendship is still the same, no? As long as they are still best friends, it’s all fine with him.  
  
  
  
  
  
It’s only a few days later that he starts getting this odd feeling inside his chest again. He can’t exactly describe it, but his chest feels heavier, as if something is trying to crush his ribcage. The feeling is lots stronger than before, not because Sehun has called him  _gay_  and using it in an obviously derogative way, but because Sehun is not reacting the same way to someone else whose action would be deemed gayer than Jongin’s innocent  _friendly_  hug a few days prior.  
  
It’s just another day in their new college student life that they have become accustomed to. They have an accounting class in the morning, followed up by basic economics and marketing 101. They have lunch with their group of friends in the cafeteria before rushing back to another class.  
  
Sehun and Jongin always do their homework together then, passing their time in the library like that until soccer practice starts. And after practice, that is when Jongin starts feeling weird. That’s when he is questioning his current friendship with Sehun.  
  
As they’re all men together, they have no qualms about showering together. It’s not like they’re really showering together anyways as there are stalls and usually, they don’t bother each other. Except today, the moment Sehun stepped out in all his naked glory, his privates hidden by a towel loosely wrapped around his waist, Baekhyun snuck up on him to slap his butt.  
  
Jongin admits that he has been thinking about doing that sometime, too, but he knows Sehun wouldn’t appreciate it, so he never did. He fully expected Sehun to glare at their hyung and complain, but all Sehun does is to turn around and pout until Baekhyun coos at him and promises to never ever do that again. They both laugh then, leaving Jongin with a queasy feeling.  
  
  
  
  
  
Ever since that butt slapping incident in the shower room, Jongin has avoided Sehun. He has tried to deny that he felt annoyance and maybe a twinge of jealousy when Baekhyun could touch Sehun’s naked butt so nonchalantly, but in the end, he must be honest with himself. He can’t lie to himself. Jongin is maybe kind of attracted to his best friend, something that shouldn’t happen. It’s only going to make them awkward if Sehun ever finds out, so he plans on keeping it a secret until his feelings fade away.  
  
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to find excuses when their schedules are the same and when their group of friends consists of the same people. He doesn’t want to make it too obvious that he is keeping his distance, otherwise, Sehun might confront him, right?  
  
The solution comes in form of a part-time job. Jongin has started working at the coffee shop run by the student union, choosing the shifts that will clash with meetings for Sehun’s study group, so that he ends up studying with other classmates instead. If Sehun finds it weird, he doesn’t let Jongin know, but Jongin doubts that. Sehun is his same cheerful but bratty self around him.  
  
The only times they spend together now are their classes, lunch time and practice. Jongin often comes home late after a shift at the coffee shop he would go to the library to study. He needs the quiet as much as he needs the background noise, the sound of pencils scratching on paper, the sound of fingers quickly typing on laptop keyboards, the sound of soft murmurs when one student asks another for help in the study hall. It’s the atmosphere there that turns Jongin into a student who wants to fit in, so he finishes his homework and studies notes until his eyelids are heavy, his brain too fuzzy to work. That’s when he packs up his things and leaves to walk back to the dorms, back to a dark room and the quiet, steady sound of Sehun breathing in his sleep.  
  
For three weeks, that has been Jongin’s routine. He goes to class, has lunch, goes to practice or the study group with Sehun, then he works his shift and studies some more at the library. There is not much time left in between to talk and bond more with his friends, and there is no time to think about his attraction towards Sehun either. Jongin has almost forgotten about that, until he comes home to his shared room with Sehun one night, the vicinity dark, the sound of Sehun’s breathing as usual, except this time, it is more labored.  
  
“Fuck,” Sehun cusses underneath his breath, so unlike usual, Jongin knows that his best friend is awake, so he turns on the light to see Sehun sitting on his bed, face flushed, bangs sweaty. It only dawns on him a moment later when his eyes wander down to the exposed collarbones and the naked chest, lower body covered by the blanket, the bulge at Sehun’s crotch leaving no room for imagination.  
  
“S-sorry,” Jongin stutters out and averts his eyes. He feels a bit awkward now, more so when thoughts of touching Sehun’s cock again register in his mind. He feels light-headed at the memory of what they did a few months ago, Sehun wearing a female school uniform. Does he want a repeat of that? Hell yes. His cock agrees as it’s stirring in interest.  
  
“Could you… turn away?” Sehun asks, voice still breathy. Jongin has to swallow and he almost does as Sehun says, but why should he? It wouldn’t be the first time to see his best friend naked. And with that thought comes a wave of bravery that Jongin doesn’t know he possesses. He is bold as he walks to Sehun’s bed, each stride bringing him closer to his best friend who seems to shrink more into himself, all flustered after being caught masturbating.  
  
“Why? I could help you, no?” Jongin asks, fully expecting a sassy comeback, but instead, he is met with silence and a wary gaze. Sehun’s voice is thin when he speaks up.  
  
“Why would you? Bros don’t help each other get off,” Sehun whispers.  
  
“We did that before though, so a second time wouldn’t hurt, right? I was thinking of… maybe giving you a blowjob?”  
  
The words are out and Jongin has the decency to blush and look away. And yet, for some miraculous reason, Sehun agrees. Jongin’s offer has been half-hearted, but Sehun’s curiosity -  _this would be the first time I get a blowjob_  - ended up with Jongin sucking Sehun’s cock.  
  
  
  
  
  
It was messy. Jongin didn’t quite know what to do. He didn’t have any experiences with blowjobs since porn didn’t count, so the two of them were experimenting. Jongin tried everything from small licks to taking as much as possible into his mouth. He learned that deep throating was uncomfortable, that his gag reflex kicked in and made his eyes water, but he also learned that Sehun liked it a lot, so he gave his best. Sehun liked it so much he came in no time, the first spurt of cum leaving a bad aftertaste on Jongin’s tongue, the rest of it leaving white stickiness across his lips and cheeks.  
  
“I swear, I don’t usually come so fast, but that felt really good,” Sehun mumbled quietly, almost shyly, but with the way his words drawled out Jongin knew that the other was about to fall asleep. He tucked Sehun in before going to the bathroom to wash up and take care of his own arousal.  
  
  
  
  
  
Again, they don’t talk about it the next morning. Jongin pretends he doesn’t see the tinge of rose on Sehun’s cheeks when he comes out of the bathroom, and he pretends not to notice how quiet his best friend is on this morning.  
  
They head down to the building their lecture is going to be held at and stop by Seven-Eleven to grab a few rolls of kimbap and canned coffee for breakfast. Sehun grows more talkative as time passes, and by lunch time, when they are reunited with all their friends, Sehun is his own self, capable of cracking jokes and slapping Jongin’s biceps when he is shaking with laughter.  
  
“Are you going to Junmyeon’s party Friday night?” Baekhyun asks all of a sudden. Both Sehun and Jongin stare at him with a frown on their face. A party would be fatal now when they’re so busy with their workload. For Sehun, a party might not affect him as much, but to Jongin who has even less time to prepare for their upcoming finals due to his part-time job, every hour spent on having fun is a waste of time.  
  
“We’re not even that close with Junmyeon-hyung,” Jongin reasons, frown deepening when Baekhyun holds a long speech on what they are going to miss out if they don’t join the party. Jongin is not convinced, but when Sehun says that he will think about it, Jongin knows that his best friend is joining. And if Sehun is joining, then Jongin, too, by default, will join as well, if only to keep an eye on his best friend and prevent him from doing stupid things.  
  
  
  
  
  
As predicted, Sehun is joining their friends at the party. Luckily for Jongin, Sehun has also decided to be fashionably late, so Jongin has more time to study and do homework. It’s almost ten by the time Sehun tells him that they need to get ready, and it’s almost midnight when they arrive at the location.  
  
The party is in full swing when they arrive. Jongin wrinkles his nose when he’s hit by the smell of sweat, smoke, alcohol and heavy perfume. The music is obnoxiously loud, as are the people inside who are trying to converse by screaming their lungs out.  
  
“Let’s find the hyungs,” Sehun yells, and Jongin simply nods and follows. They make their way through the crowd in search of their group of friends and find them in the kitchen. The music is less loud here and Jongin feels grateful for that. His eardrums were about to explode.  
  
“Hey kids, good to see you showing up, too,” Baekhyun chuckles and hands each of them a cup with a suspiciously smelling liquid. Sehun downs it in one go while Jongin is still eyeing the contents with suspicion.  
  
“Ya, it’s not drugged or anything,” Baekhyun says, clearly miffed, but Sehun is quick to find an excuse.  
  
“Jongin’s only having soft drinks today,” Sehun says and gives Jongin a kind smile. He takes the cup from Jongin’s hand and takes another sip of it. “He’s got to get up early for work tomorrow, so no heavy partying for him. I’ll have Jongin’s drinks instead.”  
  
It’s a blatant lie, since Jongin has begged a co-worker to exchange shifts with him, knowing that he might not be able to get up early for work the next day. Just for precaution, since Sehun has been pondering if they should go to the party or not, his consciousness must have told him to focus more on school.  
  
“Ah, is that so?” Baekhyun says, his expression changing into a pitiful one as he pats Jongin’s shoulder.  
  
“One iced tea coming up,” Jongdae says and gets a bottle of iced tea from the fridge to pour Jongin a cup. Just to make sure, Jongin sniffs at the cup before trying a sip. It’s really just iced lemon tea.  
  
Afterwards, they are pushed into the main room to mingle. Baekhyun has been wiggling with his eyebrows and told them to find someone and get laid tonight, at which Sehun just laughed while Jongin kept quiet. He didn’t come here for that after all. He came here to… to do what?  
  
Watching Sehun socializing, Jongin realizes for the first time that the two of them are different. Sehun has always been good at getting along with others, always smiling, always knowing what to say to create an easy-going atmosphere that keeps people wanting to continue talking to him, whereas Jongin is the one who stays quiet and only says a word every now and then, mostly after being prodded. Maybe that’s why he finds himself leaning against the wall with his cup of iced tea, eyes glued to Sehun’s back.  
  
His best friend has abandoned him at this party. Well, not quite abandoned since Jongin moved away from the dancefloor on his own, but Sehun definitely didn’t notice Jongin quietly leaving, too engrossed in talking to that chick, what was her name? Sooyoung? Sooyeon?  
  
He cringes when he sees Sehun downing another cup of what Baekhyun and Jongdae are mixing in the kitchen, the fifth one by now, and judging by the smell, they must have added strong liquor to it. It shows in the way Sehun moves – it’s less graceful, less controlled, but at least he still manages to stand upright without swaying too much. Instead of swaying, he is dancing now.  
  
Jongin closes his eyes for a short second, feeling a headache coming up, and when he opens his eyes, Sehun is still there, at that spot in the middle of the room, but now the girl is in his arms and they are sucking each other’s face off, bodies pressing and grinding against the other.  
  
Jongin feels his gut churning at the sigh. He balls his hands into fists and takes a few deep breaths until he feels less queasy before he does what his instincts are telling him to – to go and separate Sehun from that girl because the next morning, Jongin will regret if he doesn’t.  
  
  
  
  
  
Prying Sehun off that girl has been unexpectedly easy. As soon as Sehun recognized Jongin, his best friend has latched onto him instead, telling the girl how wonderful Jongin is. It was rather embarrassing to Jongin, to hear Sehun shouting about how nice and sweet he was, how he always bought Sehun bubble tea and how he would always make sure that Sehun didn’t skip his meals. Jongin was only glad that the music was loud enough to hopefully make Sehun’s drown under the heavy electro dance tune.  
  
Getting Sehun back to the dorms was the next great challenge. At least Sehun was pliant in his inebriated state. He let Jongin manhandle him into a cab and later on into the dorms.  
  
Jongin thinks that dumping Sehun on his bed would mean the end of his torture, but Sehun’s whining stops him. He sighs softly and helps Sehun with taking off his sneakers and skinny jeans. He even brings Sehun a glass of water and watches Sehun drinking up, slightly worried that his friend might choke on it.  
  
“Cuddle with me,” Sehun demands when Jongin gets up again. Jongin is torn between slipping into bed with his best friend and slapping some reason into him, but ends up joining Sehun underneath his blankets after he changed into sweatpants and a tanktop – only because Sehun has been constantly whining and complaining, demanding Jongin to make it up to him.  
  
“I didn’t get loving,” Sehun slurs, the alcohol still having its effect on him. “You… because of you.”  
  
Jongin is about to get up and leaving the room, just for an hour or two, until Sehun has fallen asleep when Sehun clings to him all of a sudden. It’s getting a bit hard to breathe like this, with Sehun squeezing his ribcage, and his heartrate is going up, too.  
  
“Kiss me,” Sehun mumbles. “I want kisses.”  
  
And Jongin like every other time when his friend makes a suggestion or a demand, Jongin gives in. He lets Sehun press his lips onto his, heart beating louder and faster than ever. It’s gone into a frenzy and Jongin thinks he could very well die like this.  
  
  
  
  
  
When Jongin wakes up, his memories of the past night are vivid. He can feel Sehun’s warm skin on his, the softness of Sehun’s lips lingering on his, too.  
  
“Oh fuck,” Sehun groans and Jongin almost jumps at the sudden gruff voice. He has been in thought, pondering over how to quietly slip out of Sehun’s arms without waking the other, but there’s no chance for that. Sehun is awake, too, and despite his hangover, he must have noticed that they are cuddling in bed – naked.  
  
“Did we really-“  
  
“Don’t worry, we didn’t go all the way,” Jongin cuts the other off. Sehun’s reaction somehow disappoints him, but he tries his best not to let it show. “Just some kissing and handjobs.”  
  
“Out of all people there at the party, why did we end up together? This is what? The third time getting each other off?”  
  
As much as he is hurt, Jongin knows it’s best not to dwell on it for their friendship’s sake. The whole things with feelings is something he needs to figure out on his own. He is not delusional enough to deny the fact that his feelings towards his childhood friend might be less platonic than he assumed. There’s sexual attraction for sure, he just needs to figure out if there’s romantic feelings involved, too. Hopefully not.  
  
“Oh god, say something, you’re making this really awkward,” Sehun complains, his voice taking on a more whiny tone.  
  
“Well, maybe we ended up together because we were made for each other?” Jongin says, keeping his tone playful. But why does he feel awful although he has succeeded in making Sehun snort and snicker? The tension between them bled out, so why does his heart feel so heavy?  
  
  
  
  
  
After taking a shower, they both are seated on Jongin’s bed for breakfast since Sehun’s bed still bears remnants of last night that they need to get rid of. There’s a comfortable silence between them until Sehun decides to speak up, his words causing Jongin to choke on the mouthful of bread he is eating.  
  
“You know, I figured that helping each other out like this is not actually a bad thing,” Sehun says. “That makes us best friends with benefits now, right?”


End file.
